Rankin Inlet senior administrative officer (SAO) Darren Flynn said the hamlet is going flat out trying to keep on top of summer works this year.
He said this summer's work has been a little bit challenging for the hamlet's road crews.
"They had a very wet July," said Flynn. "That always causes additional work to keep the roads up to snuff because, rain or shine, vehicle traffic still continues.
"Obviously, with wet weather, a lot of the roads were getting a few pot holes. The guys are doing their very best to keep up and, of course, there's always those people who expect the roads outside of the municipality that we have to be kept up, as well, but those are priority two for us.
"When it comes to summer grading, priority one is always in town."
Flynn said it can be challenging sometimes keeping up during these periods with the heavy vehicle traffic that now exists in Rankin Inlet. The number of new vehicles to enter the community over the past five years has been simply incredible, he added.
"From when I got here five years ago until now, there's quite a few more trucks. On average, each year, you're probably looking at anywhere from a minimum of 50 and up. It certainly wouldn't surprise me if it was in excess of 100 new vehicles coming to town each year.
"So, over five years, that equates to somewhere between 250 and 500, and that doesn't include the quads and the side-by-sides and everything else. The number of vehicles in Rankin today is just a sign of the times.
"Many houses here have multiple vehicles now. It's a far cry from back in the late '80s when there were a few government pickup trucks, a couple of snowmobiles and a few three-wheelers. It continues to surprise me, the number of new vehicles that get off the sealift, even with the price of them being what it is."
Flynn agreed with Mayor Harry Towtongie in pointing out that there have been a fair number of accidents in the community recently.
He said the laws are enforced to the best of the hamlet's ability SA国际影视传媒� in co-operation with the SA国际影视传媒� and, hopefully, people will get the message and the number of accidents will start to decrease.
"Under the territorial act, anyone 14 and older is allowed to operate an ATV. There's been a pretty good effort this summer by both the and bylaw to try and enforce all the laws. But, you have a limited number of resources and it's a hard job for them to keep up with the volume of vehicles in the community now.
"During the summer, you have everything except snowmobiles. You're looking at a large number of vehicles on our roads. And, you also have to look at the fact that there's increased pedestrian traffic this time of year, as well as bicycle traffic.
"The best advice has always been that drivers need to drive defensively and not offensively. There's lots of challenges and, if you're driving offensively, it's very easy to get yourself into a bad situation."
